• TRADE AND INVESTMENT PUBLICATIONS
• SELECTED WORLDWIDE WEBSITES

Changes in the foreign trade structure of the Russian Far East under the process of transition toward a market economy. March 2007. Available online (PDF-Format, 36 page,s 451 KB). Discussion Paper No. 94, Institute of Developing Economies (IDE).
This paper analyzes the changes in the foreign trade structure of the Russian Far East (RFE) under the process of transition toward a market economy. It finds changes in the division of labor due to factors such as liberalization of the trade system, the presence of rich natural resources and of developed industries related to these resources, the geographic proximity to Asia and the Pacific, and the political and economic division of the once unified national economic space during the process of transition. The paper argues that the economic connections of RFE with external economies changed radically under the transition. First, the value and the importance of foreign trade increased. Second, different territories of RFE traveled along different trajectories, due to factors involving their industrial structure and geographical conditions. Third, in recent years connections with China have grown. Fourth, the share within exports of “fuel, mineral resources and metal” increased radically from the end of the 1990s, and the share of “machine, facilities and transportation means” increased from 2002 year within imports.
Accessed on 15 May < http://www.ide.go.jp/English/Publish/Dp/pdf/094_hiraizumi.pdf >

Firms in International Trade. April 2007. Available online (PDF-Format, 30 pages, 147 KB). NBER Working Paper No. 13054, National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER).
This paper states that economists generally devote little attention to the role of firms when discussing international trade. It summarizes key differences between trading and non-trading firms, demonstrates how these differences present a challenge to standard trade models and shows how recent "heterogeneous-firm" models of international trade address these challenges. The authors then make use of transaction-level United States trade data to introduce a number of new stylized facts about firms and trade. These facts reveal that the extensive margins of trade – that is, the number of products firms trade as well as the number of countries with which they trade – are central to understanding the well-known role of distance in dampening aggregate trade flows.
Accessed on 10 May < http://papers.nber.org/papers/w13054.pdf >

Globalization and the Macroeconomic Policy Environment. May 2007. Available online (PDF-Format, 81 pages, 663 KB). Working Paper No. 552, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
This paper investigates the macroeconomic policy challenges associated with a prospective continuation of international trade and financial integration over the next two decades, making use of a global macroeconomic model newly developed by the OECD. The analysis has several important policy implications. First, with the shares of non-OECD economies in world output, trade, and capital markets rising substantially, global economic developments will become much more dependent on developments in these economies than they used to be. Second, the sustainability of existing global current account imbalances will depend in part on the future build-up and composition of international assets and liabilities. While the imbalances could be sustainable for some time if economic integration continues at its current pace, a slowdown of the globalization process would raise the likelihood of a disruptive adjustment in financial markets. Third, the increase in trade and financial linkages implies that macroeconomic shocks in a given country or region have a larger impact on other economies in the future than they do today.
Accessed on 10 May
< http://www.olis.oecd.org/olis/2007doc.nsf/ >

Informality and Regulations: What Drives Firm Growth? May 2007. Available online (PDF-Format, 28 pages, 280 KB). Working Paper No. 07/112, International Monetary Fund (IMF).
This paper relies on a rich firm-level data set on transition economies to examine the role of informality as an important channel through which regulatory and other policy constraints affect firm growth. The authors find that firms reduce their formal operations with a higher tax and regulatory burden, but increase it with better enforcement quality. In terms of firm growth, the authors find a differential impact of regulatory burden and enforcement quality on formal and informal firms. In particular, they find that growth in formal firms is negatively affected by both tax and financing constraints, while these constraints are insignificant for growth in informal firms. Moreover, formal firm growth improves with better enforcement as measured by fair and impartial courts, while informal firm growth is constrained by organized crime, pointing to their inability to take full advantage of the legal and judicial systems. Finally, when looking at country-wide institutions, the authors find that higher regulatory burden reduces firm growth. An interactive term between a country-wide measure of the rule of law and a proxy for formality suggests that better enforcement quality dampens the relatively weaker growth in formal firms.
Accessed on 10 May < http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2007/wp07112.pdf >

Linking Gender and International Trade Policy: Is Interaction Possible? February 2007. Available online (PDF-Format, 25 pages, 111 KB). CSGR Working Paper 217/07, Centre for the Study of Globalization and Regionalization-University of Warwick.
The issue of gender and trade is moving up the political agenda as a result of a number of factors, in particular the politicization of trade policy, the links between trade and development and the expansion of trade to services. The commitment of some Governments and international institutions to gender mainstreaming in all areas of policy, gives an opening for pressure and campaigning on gender issues. This targets policy-making forums in the European Union, the World Trade Organization and Governments. Despite this, disconnect continues and incomprehension remains on both sides of the divide. The purpose of this paper is to examine the reasons for this disconnect at both a conceptual and a practical level, and consider what measures are currently being taken which may begin to bridge the gaps. In this context it looks particularly at programmes to support women entrepreneurs and at the moves to monitor more carefully the effects and consequences of trade measures. It also examines new notions about ‘fair’ as opposed to ‘free’ trade and the significance of the fairtrade movement for women’s empowerment.
< http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/csgr/research/workingpapers/2007/wp21707a.pdf >

Making Trade Agreements Relevant for Poor Countries: Why Dispute Settlement is Not Enough. January 2007. Available online (PDF-Format, 36 pages, 300 KB). Brandeis University and World Bank Development Research Group (DECRG).
Poor countries are rarely challenged in formal WTO trade disputes for failing to live up to commitments, reducing the benefits of their participation in international trade agreements. This paper examines the political-economic causes of the failure to challenge poor countries and discusses the static and dynamic costs and externality implications of this failure. Given the weak incentives to enforce WTO rules and disciplines against small and poor members, bolstering the transparency function of the WTO is important to make trade agreements more relevant to trade constituencies in developing countries. While the authors’ focus is on the WTO system, their arguments also apply to reciprocal North-South trade agreements.
Accessed on 10 May < http://ssrn.com/abstract=984233 >

Technological Capability as a Determinant of FDI Inflows: Evidence from Developing Asia and India. April 2007. Available online (PDF-Format, 37 pages, 354 KB). Working Paper No. 193, Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (ICRIER).
This paper attempts to explain the country-wise variations in the pattern of foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to developing Asian economies by empirically identifying location-specific features influencing such flows. The paper argues that some countries in the region – which have developed long-term sources of comparative advantages in the form of superior technological capabilities and supporting infrastructure – have consistently attracted greater volumes of export-oriented FDI. These attributes are also crucial for explaining the steady improvement in FDI flows to India. The paper finds that with production processes becoming increasingly complex and technology-intensive, developing countries like India, must devote greater attention to the development of research and development and frontier technologies, failing which, they might lose out in the race for FDI.
Accessed on 10 May < http://www.icrier.org/pdf/Working_Paper_193.pdf >

The Post-Crisis Sequencing of Economic Integration in Asia: Trade as a Complement to a Monetary Future. May 2007. Available online (PDF-Format, 30 pages, 647 KB). Working Paper Series on Regional Economic Integration No. 9, Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Bilateral and regional cooperation initiatives in Asia have been growing in importance over the last five years. These accords span the real and financial sectors; rather than following the more typical pattern of “trade first, money later”, recent policy initiatives involve the simultaneous implementation of trade and monetary/financial accords. Given this sequence, is there a case for monetary union in East Asia? Is there a case for expanded free-trade areas in the region? This paper attempts to answer these questions using a variety of empirical techniques, including a Computational General Equilibrium (CGE) model, to evaluate the economics of monetary/financial integration and various configurations of free trade areas in Asia. The authors conclude that, at present, the post-sequencing of economic integration in Asia is developing such that trade agreements will ultimately complement the movement toward financial and monetary integration. While the political constraint on monetary union is real, it is argued that free trade areas should help relax this constraint, adding a political complement to the trade complement.
Accessed on 15 May < http://aric.adb.org/pdf/workingpaper/WP09_Plummer&Wignaraja.pdf >

http://ec.europa.eu/trade/
European Commission External Trade Website
The external trade website of the European Commission's Directorate-General for Trade serves as a gateway to a wide range of information, including on the work of the Directorate-General for Trade, the bilateral trade relations of the European Commission, trade analysis and more. The website also provides information on specific topics, such as intellectual property, trade facilitation and a section on ‘EU and global trade’ that includes info on trade-related assistance (TRA), the Generalized System of Preference (GSP), the Everything But Arms (EBA) initiative, Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA), Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) trade issues, trade in services and much more.

http://www.investingeorgia.org/
Georgian National Investment Agency (GNIA)
E-mail: info@investingeorgia.org
The Georgian National Investment Agency was established in 2002 as the Government agency responsible for investment promotion. GNIA is designed to act as a one-stop-shop for comprehensive information about investment opportunities in Georgia. GNIA’s activities include promoting Georgia internationally; organizing ‘Invest in Georgia’ business forums; researching investment opportunities in order to inform potential investors about the advantages of investing in the country; fostering public-private dialogue in order to ensure clear communication between foreign investors and other Government agencies; and registering new foreign investments. The website provides information on doing business in Georgia, including relevant legislation; sector overviews for industry, agriculture, banking, transport, IT and communications, energy, tourism and constructions; business forums; news and more.

http://www.cambodia.gov.kh
Kingdom of Cambodia – Official Webportal
The official webportal of Cambodia offers access to a range of Government-related information. Information includes details on the King of Cambodia; the Premier of Cambodia; and the Government, including detailed information on the Senate, the National Assembly, ministries (including contact details such as e-mail addresses, websites, etc.), the Administration and the Constitution. Further information featured on the site relates to the history, art and culture of Cambodia, as well as on the population, the economy and tourism including addresses of embassies abroad and foreign embassies in Cambodia.

http://www.mekonginfo.org/
MekongInfo
E-mail: inthava@mrcmekong.org
MekongInfo is an interactive platform for sharing information and knowledge about participatory natural resource management (NRM) in the Lower Mekong Basin. In addition to over 3000 documents in the library, reference and case studies, MekongInfo provide a contacts database of individuals, projects and organizations; news and announcements of events; relevant links; a gallery of useful resource materials; a forum for online discussions as well as a free web hosting service. MekongInfo is hosted by the Mekong River Commission (MRC), an intergovernmental body created in 1995 between the Governments of Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Thailand and Viet Nam.

http://www.napi.ru
National Agency for Direct Investment (NADI), Russian Federation
E-mail: napi@napi.ru
The National Agency for Direct Investment was founded in 2001 to promote and facilitate investment in the Russian Federation, providing a one-stop shop for business development and investment services to both Russian and international firms and organizations. The agency actively cooperates with governmental bodies, regional administrations, Russian and foreign companies, and with international financial organizations. The Agency’s activities are supported by the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of the Russian Federation, and the Russian Chamber of Trade and Industry, as well as regional chambers of commerce.

http://www.sewatfc.org/
SEWA Trade Facilitation Centre (STFC)
E-mail: mail@sewatfc.org
The Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) Trade Facilitation Centre (STFC) is a grassroot commercial enterprise formed by more than 15,000 rural artisan-shareholders from desert districts of North Gujarat to overcome their impoverished condition through enhanced trade. STFC has transformed their activity into a sustainable commercial viable enterprise, providing full income and livelihood security to its shareholders through effective integration with mainstream national and global markets. The website informs about the various services and about products of STFC, features case studies as well as related links and information about news and events.

http://www.saneinetwork.net
South Asia Network of Economic research Institutes (SANEI)
E-mail: pidesaneipk@saneinetwork.net
SANEI is a regional initiative to foster networking among economic research institutes in South Asia. It seeks to establish strong research interlinkages among diverse economic research institutes in the region, with a view to making policy more informed. SANEI organizes annual regional research competitions within the South Asian region and funds select research projects. SANEI lends special emphasis on capacity building and formation of a South Asia-wide professional network of researchers engaged in policy oriented studies. SANEI also conducts Annual Conferences as part of its effort to promote exchange of ideas on economic research in the region, as well as disseminate its research findings.

http://www.us-asean.org/
US-ASEAN Business Council
E-mail: mail@usasean.org
The US-ASEAN Business Council acts as the voice of the American private sector in the 10-country ASEAN market. With over two decades of building strategic alliances and working relationships with ASEAN regional organizations as well as with Government and private sector leaders in each country, the Council works to improve the business environment for American companies and expand the United States competitive position in the region. The websites serves as a gateway to a wealth of information on the ASEAN economies, including a calendar of events, a comprehensive collection of newspaper articles, a business matchmaking facility as well as information on specific sectors.

http://www.womensedge.org
Women's Edge Coalition
E-mail: edge@womensedge.org
The Women’s Edge Coalition advocates for international economic policies and human rights that support women worldwide in their actions to end poverty in their lives, communities and nations. The Women’s Edge Coalition was created in 1998 to address the critical economic role that women play in developing countries, and to recognize that their voices were not being heard by United States decision makers creating policies and enacting legislation that affect women worldwide. The website offers a wide range of information, for instance on the Global Trade Programme of the coalition that works to create economic opportunities through United States trade policies for women and girls living in poverty in developing countries. Resources featured on the site include action materials, articles, fact sheets, policy reports, press releases and research reports on topics such as global trade, violence against women, women's education, women and agriculture, women and natural disasters, and women in conflict.

Information is taken mainly from secondary sources and UNESCAP accepts no responsibility for its accuracy. Mention of any companies and their products does not imply endorsement by the United Nations.

The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.